Into the Legend
by dawicf
Summary: Ditching work (again), Neptune's hopes of gaming are dashed. Unable to entertain herself, she allows her fans to see her past and how she became the Neptune they know.
1. Prologue and Past

Into the Legend

During a rare moment where Neptune finds herself with free time, she's bored. Then, a few of her old memories come back to her: _her_ days as a CPU Candidate. OOC for Neptune.

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Prologue and Past_

"Man, Histy is ruthless," Neptune fretted. "I sneak away to relax, and she confiscates my games. And it's raining. Oh, well."

It had occurred to Neptune that this was Histoire's goal, but like a lot of her thoughts, she didn't give voice to it. It's not that she wanted to keep it secret; she didn't have a reason to say it. There was no-one to hear her. IF wasn't due back at the Basilicom for a few more hours, Compa was at the hospital, Nepgear was tinkering again, and Histoire was…where _was_ Histoire? Normally, she'd be after Neptune for slacking off.

"What'll the readers think of this? I'm supposed to be the comedy, and there's no-one for my punchlines. I've…never had this before. How do I entertain the fans? Oh, I know! How about I treat all of you to a trip down memory lane? And before you ask, the others aren't coming. But I can't really remember why. Maybe 'cause I wasn't really listening. And from here, _I_ call the story, so step aside, narrator."

"Do I really have to?"

"My story, my nation, my rules."

"Fair enough. The narrator's seat is all yours. Before you take the reins, a question: are you thinking of turning this into a series?"

"No. Chapters, yes. Now let's go. I'll show you what is was like for me to be a CPU Candidate. I suppose a little background is necessary. Let's head back to time, maybe a few hundred years or so…I'm kidding. It wasn't that long ago. Maybe 30 or 40 years."

 _(Neptune's POV)_

You all know Uzume, the original founder of Planeptune. But what about Uranus? Uzume, or rather, Kurome mentioned her when she fought with Nep Jr. and the others. I was still stuck inside the Dark CPU, but I could hear her. The name brought back so many memories for me, of me as a simple Candidate, and my predecessor. "Those really were fun times."

 _Flashback_

"Come on, Neptune," Uranus complains. "Can't you do it this one time?"

"No!" I answer quickly. "Why do I gotta do it?"

"Because, Neptune" she sighs, "I'm nowhere near as talented as you. You should hear what the others say about you. 'Neptune's such a sweet, capable girl,' or 'Uranus, you can leave Planeptune in confidence.' And the best one: 'Have you seen her fight? Gamindustri has never before had such a strong girl in it.'"

"You know I don't care about that. All I want to do is have fun."

"And I've always stood by your belief. Although I've heard you've been getting yourself in trouble. Like with Lastation."

"That? That was a joke, just a little joke."

"Yeah, well, Noire doesn't seem to think so. Lastation citizens are going around calling her 'Lonely Sister' now."

What? That was just a joke thread I posted on N-chan. They should know not to take N-chan seriously."

"Neptune, don't you think you should apologize?"

"I know I should, but can I? You know what the others think of us."

"Blanc doesn't think very highly of us, I know. And Noire is…well, Noire."

I was always causing trouble, and I didn't really care who the punchline was for. My older sister, Uranus, was the exact opposite of me, and my definition of "cool" to me. She did things her way, and didn't listen when others criticized her. The only one who could get her to move was Histy. But my sister has a…problem, to put it mildly. She's not the most active person. As in, she _can't_ really do much.

Uranus is physically incapable of doing a lot of physical work. But she's responsible, and can actually manage when push comes to shove. _She_ is _a CPU._ And me? I was just a fun-loving, prank-pulling, mischievous brat. Hey, this Nep never tells a lie.

"Okay, maybe I _did_ go a little too far," I admit, looking down. "I'll go and apologize tomorrow."

"And what about today?"

"Right now, I just want to play a game with you, sis," I answer her honestly. Sure I joke and tease, but family is different.

She looks at me, before resigning with a sigh. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to you, Nep?"

"'Cause you love me."

 _Later…_

"My sister's all tired out, and I'm bored," I complain.

"Then, Neptune, would you perhaps mind attending to your duties as a CPU?" Histoire asks me, coming in.

"Histy, you know I can't do paperwork."

"Then at least handle some monster requests. Planeptune outskirts are being overwhelmed. I have just received word that the CPU Candidates for Lowee and Lastation are moving to intercept."

"Nep-what!? Noire _and_ Blanc are coming here?"

"Yes, and I do not blame them. At least they have the responsibility to do what needs to be done to protect their nation. Neptune, I understand wanting to protect your sister, but look at it this way. By defeating the monsters, you are ensuring Planeptune's safety."

"Histy, since when did I say I was doing any of this for her?"

"! Neptune, what do you mean?"

"I love my sister, but I'm not doing any of this to help her. The sooner I become CPU, the sooner I can do what I want."

"You know full well that the responsibility of a CPU is to protect her nation and its citizens."

"'Our mission as the residing Console Patron Unit is to provide peace and security to our respective nations, and Gamindustri as a collective whole' I'm aware, Histy," I quote her verbatim, losing patience. "I'll head off on these quests, but only to prove that this is Planeptune. This is _my_ nation, and they won't be on our borders much longer."

I said I wouldn't lie, but this is something I have to do. Besides, Histoire knows I care too much about Planeptune. Problem is, it doesn't take a genius to look at Uranus and tell that she wants to quit being a CPU. I can't blame her, really. But it's not like I'm ready to take over. All the citizens of Plneptune trust me enough, but is that really a good reason to succeed my sister? And now, of all times? _No way will those losers show me up._

Oh, sorry. I guess this whole time, I haven't explained what Uranus looks like. She's a bit shorter than Vert, and she's a solid D. Yeah, that's new for this franchise, huh? Neck-length blue hair, and she's a complete package. Well, she is to me. But that's 'cause she's my sister, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Earlier, I didn't mean to say that my sister is unable to do much physical work. That's actually my fault. A few years ago, I hurt her in a freak accident. I don't think I can bring myself to talk about it. Thankfully, that disability doesn't apply to her HDD, Violet Heart. Uranus has always been an icon for all of Gamindustri to strive for; at least, in their eyes.

"So, where are those two?" I ask, flying toward my destination. I'm still kind of new to HDD. "Those two can't be too far away. I thought they'd be fighting against each other by now." It's a few more minutes before I hear a familiar sound: steel meeting steel. Even with the echo, I'm able to follow the source, finding my fellow CPU Candidates, Noire of Lastation, and Blanc of Lowee. Though, if my memory serves, Blanc recently succeeded her sister.

"What the hell, Noire!?" Blanc shouts. "Quit getting in my way!"

" _Your_ way? I was here first, so you can back off, _Lady_ Blanc," Noire retorts, adding "lady" for sarcasm.

They haven't noticed me yet, so I'm content to sit and watch their battle for a few more minutes. Something tells me that they completely forgot their objective the moment they saw each other. _Idiots, both of them_. Their fighting escalates that they're tearing down trees by this point. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll bring if they keep this up. Still silent and undetected, I summon forth the large sword through my own technique. "32-bit Mega Blade."

While I was quiet, my skill was less so. The multi-colored blade caught the sun's light, and they saw me above. _Well, this isn't how I planned. So much for subtlety._

"Surely, you two understand that you're bickering like children," I call down to them. "Go back to your own nations, Noire, Blanc."

"What the hell right do you have to talk to me like that!?" Blanc shoots back as a response. "Why are you even here, Neptune? Shouldn't you be back in front of your TV, pigging out on games and pudding?"

"If you want to force us, use that oversized technicolor pin needle you're holding," Noire dares, hoping to provoke me.

"I came out here by Histy's request, partly to defeat monsters, and partly to drive you out. You are officially in Planeptune borders. Do you really want to risk starting a war?"

"And who can stop us from fighting?" Blanc continues her verbal assault. "You? You don't have the strength, and your sister doesn't have the guts."

"I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate us," I respond coolly, trying to keep my temper. "I may not be able to defeat you, but I can at least try to dissuade you from attempting this foolish raid on our borders."

Honestly, I'm not feeling good about my odds. Noire, I could probably beat in a fair fight; Blanc is different. She's a full CPU, and she's the toughest of all of us. I'd never say it out loud, but she terrifies me. _Still, I can't back down._ "Blanc, you know I don't want to fight. Just go back to Lowee, and we won't see this as a declaration of war."

"Well, that's too damn bad! If you didn't want me to come down here, you should have come here first. Now I have to come in and clean up your mess. And you know what that is, Neptune? It's bullshit. Are you so afraid of succeeding your sister that you have nothing to prove? Now I see why you guys stay hidden away in your Basilicom. You're just too afraid; you're a scared child. Is that why your sister got hurt? Trying to protect you from your own damn stupidity!?"

"Say what you will of me," I threaten, landing, disabling my HDD, "but you will _not_ insult my sister."

"Have you lost it, Neptune?" Noire asks. "Trying to fight both of us like that?"

"Don't misunderstand. I won't waste my energy fighting you two when I'm here for a few trash mobs. Unless you'd like to be my warm-up?"

* * *

 ** _Neptune:_ ** I don't know. Maybe I should use a few more jokes.

 ** _Me:_ ** Maybe you're like me. You can make a good joke, but it's spur of the moment. When we actually try to set it up...

 _ **Neptune:**_ I get it. Still, I'm _loving_ this darker side of me, it makes me feel more like an anti-hero. And my being a Tsundere about my sister? Who'd expect that?

 _ **Me:**_ Well, this is _your_ history, and they can't influence that. Let's keep working together, Neptune.

 _ **Neptune:**_ Sounds good. See you next chapter, everybody!

Before I keep going on this trip, I want to thank author Ghost 501 for inspiring me to have Neptune completely vaporize the 4th wall. And the usual disclaimers: I do not own Hyperdimension Neptunia. Only the few stories I create, and my original character, which will make her debut later.


	2. Taking Care of Business

_Chapter 2: Taking Care of Business_

"The hell are you saying!?" Blanc shouts, hurting my ears.

"I'm not here for you, and I couldn't care less what you do. But take your fight somewhere else. Or did you both forget that you came for a reason besides fighting each other?"

Those two can fight until Gamindustri collapses around them, I know they could. _But I have to remember I'm not here for them._ As I walk off, I feel the air blow past me. Noire stands in my way.

"And just where do you think you're going? You think you can say that and just walk away?"

"Noire, I'm sorry about that joke I said on N-chan. Maybe I did cross the line. But if it makes you feel any better, I love you," I tell her with a grin a mile wide. "And that's no joke."

Her face turns brighter than a Red Dogoo (some of them, anyway). As if to distract herself, she lunges, sword forward. I roll right to dodge her, but she's quick. As I recover, she's ready to attack again. _I've never had to fight her before. I've heard that Lastation's CPU is strong, and if this is her sister, I'd hate to have to fight her._ With no time to avoid, I summon my sword to block her strike. In that moment, I smile at her. This one was different from earlier. I was teasing her, then, but this was honestly me. _I'm actually excited. Maybe I_ do _like her._

"Noire, do we have to fight? Let's just put this behind us."

"In case you forgot, you interrupted us," Blanc breaks into our conversation. "Noire and I were just settling our differences."

"Then let me ask you, Blanc. What if you had beaten Noire, or worse, killed her? Could you really stand against Lastation's CPU? From what I saw, she was pushing you back a little. If Noire can do that, imagine her sister. Do you want to risk war? But that's me. Leave me out of Lastation affairs, and Lowee, too."

Blanc's expression falters. I can see her considering her options. "DAMN IT!" she yells before turning and leaving.

"Thank you, Blanc," I whisper, knowing she can't hear me. Noire might have heard it, but with the sound of our swords clashing, I doubt it. "I guess I like her more than I thought I did."

"Did you inherit your gift of logic from Uranus?"

"Nope! That talent is from a true Nep. Always imitated, never duplicated."

"You're awfully full of yourself. Did you copy that from some review?"

"Maybe, but at least I don't believe that I'm some all-powerful deity. 'I only do everything?' Was it you that came up with that? Calling _me_ narcissistic?"

"You said you came here for monsters, Neptune. So why do you keep picking fights with us? You never make any sense."

"Because you're more fun than the monsters. Endless trash mobs that explode in pixels like a VR sword game when they die? Or a real opponent that I can actually have fun with?"

"You're not wrong, but don't forget that first and foremost, you're a CPU, and a CPU always looks out for her nation."

"Don't you lecture me, too. I know full well my job as a CPU, but whether I do my job or not is _my_ choice. And that's because," I pause, jumping back, "I'm Neptune, CPU of Planeptune. And I won't let anyone stand in the way of my goal."

"And what might that be?" Noire asks.

"If I make out of this alive, maybe I'll tell you," I answer, jumping past her to attack a Dogoo that had gotten behind her. "Well, I owe thanks to you and Blanc."

"What did we do?"

"The two of you made so much noise, you drew them here. I can handle this. You just run back home."

I put up a brave face, but it's grim. I can fight this many Dogoos, but it won't be easy. Besides, trash mobs always have a boss at the end, right? _Maybe I should ask Noire for her help._

"You can't be left alone, can you?"

"I said you can go now."

"And I'm saying no. You can't be trusted to handle this on your own without getting yourself killed, and I wouldn't want to tell your sister you died against a Dogoo trash mob."

"Are you saying that to rationalize invading my borders, or do you like me after all?"

The two of us dance around each other, cutting down any monster dumb enough to get near us. I can feel the excitement in my heart, and I can't stop myself before I'm laughing.

"And just what is so funny?"

"Come on, you can't say you're not having a little fun here. Noire, stop being such a stick in the mud and just enjoy it. And if you want, we can continue our duel after. Okay?"

She's silent for a few seconds before she finally surrenders. "It's hard to say 'no' to you, you know that?"

"I get that a lot," I tease, having heard almost the exact same words earlier. Noire and I have had a…difficult relationship for years. She's been the victim of my stunts more than anyone else, so she has good reason to not get along with me. "Noire, I really am sorry about my N-chan joke. Maybe people will forget about it?"

"Maybe, but don't expect me to forgive you that easily," she answers my question vaguely, returning to her human form. "Honestly, you're such a pain. You're stubborn and arrogant."

"And you're not?"

"Let me finish, damn it. You're difficult and infuriating, and you bring trouble wherever you go. But it can be a little fun being with you."

"Are you confessing yourr love for me?" I ask, teasing. "I'm kidding. I didn't know you were such a tsundere. It's cute, seeing you like this."

A loud roar disrupts us. The trees around us fall with a resounding _crack_. Several large dragons lumber out into the new opened space.

"Damn, I didn't think there'd be this many."

"Oh, Noire, lighten up. We're here," I tell her, going HDD. "Let's just enjoy ourselves."

"You're going to get killed with that attitude."

"But I have you here to help me."

We get to work dispatching the dragons. But we're making slow progress. 15 minutes later, and we took out only two of them. _6 more to go._

"This is bad. I don't think we'll survive this."

"Then let's at least escape, Noire. We can live to fight another day."

"I don't think so. Besides, you have as little intention of running away as I do."

"Am I that easy to figure out?"

"Well, you stared down Blanc without flinching, so I thought a few Ancient Dragons would be child's play for you."

"Well, I'm sorry for being such a pushover!" Blanc yells from above. Her axe comes flying down so fast, I can't see it. It quickly takes the head of the Dragon in front of us. With her help, we defeat the rest. "You two dumbasses would be dead without me. You _better_ appreciate it."  
"More than you know, Blanc," I say to her, deactivating my HDD.

"Whatever. We could have defeated them. We didn't need your help."

"Really now? That's some skill you have there, Noire. Maybe you can use it to help my sister stay out of trouble."

"S-Sis!" I stutter. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Histoire told me you ran off after one of her lectures. Still, I didn't think you'd get yourself in this much trouble."

"We didn't know there'd be 8 of them. Right, Noire?"

"I meant you getting in the middle of their battle. I don't doubt your skills, Neptune, but breaking up a fight between those two would have been suicide for anyone else. Please, be more careful."

"Well, my Luck stat has always been higher than normal."

"I give up. Blanc, thank you for helping Neptune and Noire."

"If I had let them die, I'd have had to fight Planeptune _and_ Lastation. Even I'm not that stupid."

"That's what I told her," I tell sis.

"So who gets the credit for clearing this quest?" Noire asks. "'Cause Blanc only helped at the last minute."

"Whats it matter?" I answer. "We got it done, so let's just congratulate ourselves. With pudding."

"Is pudding all you ever think about?"

"Nicknames for you. Hey, when you succeed your sister, can I call you 'Lonely Heart?'"

"Neptune, what did we talk about?"

"Fine. 'Tsundere Heart,' then?"

"No!"

"You guys are no fun."

"You have too much fun," Blanc counters.

"'Cause that's what my life goal is. Have to please the fans somehow."

"What fans?" Noire snarks. "Your sister is the only reason Plaenptune is still afloat right now."

"I don't know about that. Our citizens like her plenty, but that's mostly because I've been running her all over the borders, keeping threats away from the cities."

"Really? Then why wasn't she here today?"

"I may have been playing a game with her," she admits sheepishly.

The two of them stare daggers at me. "What'd I do?"

"Neptune, let's head back. Histoire's probably getting worried about you. And don't forget about her, too."

"Oh, right. I forgot about her. Speaking of things I forgot, what are you doing out here anyway, sis? You don't usually come this far."

"Well, Blanc contacted me and told me that you were being a nuisance, so I asked for an update, but it turns out I didn't have to. She just suddenly showed up on the Basilicom balcony. And here we are."

"Makes sense to this Nep. Well, I'll see you guys later. Oh, Blanc, what about your sisters? You're a CPU now. Have any Candidates?"

She's hesitant to answer, but she eventually answers with a silent "Two."

"Two!? You have to bring them over sometime."

"I don't have to do anything. I'm afraid you'll be an influence on them."

"Like you'll be any better," Noire adds. "You have a really bad temper. Do you really want them taking after you?"

"Don't listen to her, Blanc," sis tells her. "Still, I hope you'll introduce us."

I did already mention that my sis was basically my idol, right? She's just so cool, strong, and rational. More than me, at least. But that's my charm: free-spirited and joke-making.

"Maybe," Blanc responds, sighing. "Just keep Neptune in control around them."

"I'll do my best. Ready to go, Neptune?"

"Yep! Coming, sis."

Then, in a second faster than when I sliced that first Dogoo, everyone left except for us. I transform, waiting for sis to, but she doesn't. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I didn't have a chance to tell you, but I unofficially activated the succession ceremony. So, technically, I'm no longer a CPU. I entrust this nation to you, Purple Heart."

Me, a CPU? It's too early. It's not yet time. "A-Are you sure?" I'm usually infallible in HDD, but even this news is a bit too much for me.

"Very. If you're leading this nation, I can relax. I was starting to doubt my own ability. Besides, I have my own agenda that I want to pursue. Now, can you carry me back? I'm sorry. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have waited."

"What am I going to do with you?" I ask.

"Come on, Neptune, you know the answer to that. We're from Planeptune. We do things our way, and we don't listen to others. Isn't that how it goes?"

She has a point. If I complain about every little thing, then I'll never be able to enjoy life. Accepting her words, I smile. "That's right. That's how we do things here. Let's go."

I grab hold of my sister, making sure she can't slip out of my reach, and take off. Now that I think about it, that's always been how it goes. Sure, little niches of our culture go over the other nations' heads, but that's just part of Planeptune life. Sis told me that the first CPU of our nation went around selling handmade game consoles from a wagon. Lowee is deeply rooted in its past, doing things the traditional way. Lastation believes that doing everything is the best way to achieve results. Leanbox is…what _is_ Leanbox like? I've never actually been there. I've met Vert and her sister before, but they always come over here.

"You're usually so talkative, Neptune. What happened?"

"I was just thinking about what you said. But if I can ask, what's Leanbox like. I've never actually been there."

"Right, you haven't. It's a nation that focuses heavily on military and industrial development, like they're preparing for war, though I have heard that someone is working fervently to change its militaristic culture."

 _Sounds like it might not be a good idea to visit just yet. A culture transition is never the best time to go sightseeing._

As we're passing a small island, I see a large number of monsters. They don't seem to be doing anything specific, but then I see them look up at us. They're all machines. I can see their turrets adjust to target us. Then they open fire. From such a far distance, I'm able to avoid their attacks, but I'm still exhausted from that fight earlier, and I'm carrying my sister.

"Sis, what do we do?"

"Not much we can do. Neptune, get down there. Let's go."

"Are you sure you can fight? Your legs…"

"I know, and I don't care. Just listen to your sis this one time, okay?" Her eyes beg me to let her do this.

"You really are stubborn."

"No more than you."

But as we descend, a dread feeling overcomes me.


End file.
